Lenny Megliola: Get to know the man who will coach LeBron

When David Blatt was hired to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers the tweets and opining began.

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By LENNY MEGLIOLA

southcoasttoday.com

By LENNY MEGLIOLA

Posted Jul. 16, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By LENNY MEGLIOLA
Posted Jul. 16, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

When David Blatt was hired to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers the tweets and opining began.

David who?

Well, that sure kills any chance of LeBron James coming back to Cleveland. No way he's going to play for a guy who never played or coached in the NBA.

Really, David who?

How'd that work out? LeBron signed with the Cavs anyway, and while he and Blatt haven't broken bread yet LeBron, at Sunday's World Cup final, sent Blatt a text, said Gary Bernson, Blatt's best friend and confidant since their childhood days in Framingham.

"LeBron said he was looking forward to working with David and help build the team up again," said Bernson.

Blatt, who had an illustrious coaching career in Europe, and LeBron were at the same venue twice, at the Beijing and London Olympics, but there was no contact. LeBron didn't know who Blatt was. Now he'll be running Blatt's offense. Life's quirky, isn't it?

The pressure on Blatt and LeBron will be extraordinary. LeBron can text nice to his new coach, but will they get along? LeBron's presence makes the Cavs an instant contender in the Eastern Conference and, if they land Kevin Love, one of the favorites to win an NBA title.

"LeBron gives David so many more options," said Bernson. "He's got the greatest player in the world."

Still, when LeBron chose Cleveland, "much like David's, my jaw dropped," Bernson admitted. "He called me and said 'Can you believe what's happened the last month?'"

The Cavaliers will need a period of adjustment. New coach, new superstar returning to the place he left behind and the suffocating media attention might mean a slow start to the season for the Cavs. Bernson followed Blatt's European career very closely and came away with this observation. "David's teams got better as the season went on." In a visit to Israel, Bernson saw Blatt run practices and coach games. Blatt was always in control and a step or two ahead of the opposing coach.

He may be a newcomer to the NBA, but coaches and general managers have long known about Blatt. Their summation: great tactician on both sides of the ball.

"I knew he'd be a coach right from the get-go," Pete Carril, Blatt's coach at Princeton, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He's got an analytic mind, sees things, loves the game, loves to teach the game. He made a name for himself on the international scene, that's for sure. He's got a brain. He's not a B.S. coach. He gives (his players) the facts. You can't con him."

"David's not under the radar anymore," said Phil "Smokey" Moresi, who coached Blatt at Framingham South High School. "You couldn't have put this story together a month ago, with all this falling in place."

His ex-player lands in the NBA at 55, and gets LeBron too? Na, never happen.

Moresi has an idea how the first dialogue between Blatt and LeBron will go. "David will say, 'This is what I do on offense. How do you think it fits in with you? Or how it doesn't?'"

Blatt has consistently called Moresi the biggest influence in his life. They've stayed in touch since Blatt graduated in 1977. Still, Blatt's new gig presents a bit of a problem for Moresi.

So the partnership begins: The world's best player and the unknown rookie coach. Blatt spent some 30 years playing and coaching in Europe and Israel. LeBron spent the last four years in South Beach. They meet up in Cleveland, a homecoming for both. You can not make this stuff up.